Pillows come in many shapes and sizes. A traditional or ordinary pillow has a simple construction, with top and bottom pieces of fabric sewn together along their edges filled with an appropriate filling material (i.e., the “fill”). Ordinary pillows share a variety of problems, including a tendency for the fill within the pillows to move away from the pillows' edges, which in turn results in lower neck support or other undesired characteristics. Gusseted pillows have been designed to address some of the shortcomings of ordinary pillows. In particular, gusseted pillows include a piece of material (i.e., the “gusset”) that extends between the peripheral edges of the pillow between the top and bottom portions/surfaces of the pillow. Gusseted pillows usually have a high loft as compared to non-gusset (or non-gusseted) pillows. Examples of gusseted pillows are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,182, U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,851, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,760,935, which are incorporated herein by reference. As shown in each of these patents, the pillows include a gusset around the pillow's periphery and disposed between the pillow's top and bottom surfaces.
But gusseted pillows have their own shortcomings depending on the needs of users and, thus, are not satisfactory under various circumstances. Accordingly, there still is a need for yet further pillow constructions that provide advantageous characteristics.